Bridging Knowledge, Community & Systems: Where community knowledge meets practice, building trust, expanding opportunity, and creating change rooted in cultura, place, and people.
Welcome to the official page of Moni Avila, a scholar-practitioner, educator, strategist, and community-rooted leader whose work bridges community knowledge, organizational leadership, education, public health, economic opportunity, emergency preparedness, and systems change.
Moni brings together scholarship, lived experience, and community practice to examine how people experience institutions and how organizations can become more responsive to the communities they serve. Her work centers the knowledge communities already hold and explores the role of trust, history, place, relationships, and opportunity in creating lasting change.
As the founder of MAS for the Masses and the Institute for Community Knowledge & Practice, Moni creates spaces where research and community knowledge inform education, leadership, organizational practice, and solutions to complex community challenges.
This space brings together her scholarship, writing, community work, and evolving ideas about how we build stronger organizations and communities.
Community knowledge is knowledge. Trust is infrastructure. And meaningful change begins when we recognize the expertise already present in our communities.
Bienvenidos.
Her Story
Moni Avila's story is rooted in resilience, community, and a lifelong curiosity about whose knowledge counts and how that knowledge shapes opportunity.
A former high school dropout and single mother of four, Moni returned to school while raising her children, often completing homework together around the kitchen table. What began as a personal pursuit of opportunity became a much larger journey into education, leadership, scholarship, and community practice.
Moni learned that communities hold knowledge that institutions do not always recognize. Residents understand their neighborhoods. Families carry history and memory. Frontline professionals see how systems operate in practice. These experiences shaped her belief that community knowledge is not supplemental to expertise; it is expertise.
That belief led Moni to found MAS for the Masses, creating opportunities for people across generations to engage Mexican American history within the larger local, national, and global narrative. It also shaped her evolution as a scholar-practitioner working across education, public health, workforce and economic development, emergency preparedness, crisis response, and organizational leadership.
Moni earned a Doctor of Education in Leadership and Innovation, where her research examined how Community Health Workers navigate institutional, cultural, and linguistic boundaries. While grounded in the CHW experience, the questions behind her scholarship extend much further: How do people navigate systems? Whose knowledge informs decisions? What creates trust between institutions and communities? And how can organizations become more responsive to the people they serve?
Today, Moni brings together research, lived experience, community knowledge, and organizational practice to explore the relationship between people, place, institutions, and opportunity. Her writing examines trust, leadership, organizational culture, emergency preparedness, public health, economic opportunity, community resilience, and the gaps between how systems are designed and how people actually experience them.
Whether through research, writing, education, leadership, or community practice, Moni's work continues to bridge scholarship and lived experience, policy and practice, institutions and communities, and knowledge and action.
She believes the people closest to a challenge do not simply have stories to tell. They hold knowledge essential to understanding it, and to building what comes next.
Impact & Role
Moni Avila's work focuses on strengthening the relationships between people, organizations, systems, and communities.
Across leadership, education, public health, economic and workforce development, emergency preparedness, community engagement, research, and organizational strategy, she works to understand not only whether programs and systems function, but how people experience them, where they break down, and what makes them work better.
Central to her approach is community knowledge: the understanding, experience, relationships, history, and expertise that already exist within communities. Moni believes this knowledge should inform how organizations set priorities, invest resources, design programs, respond to crises, and measure success.
Her work brings community knowledge together with research, data, and organizational practice to examine the structures behind outcomes, including leadership and decision-making, workforce capacity, economic opportunity, communication, institutional culture, resource allocation, cross-sector relationships, and access to opportunity.
This perspective has shaped Moni's work across government, higher education, nonprofit, and community settings. She has developed initiatives, led teams, built cross-sector partnerships, designed learning experiences, strengthened workforce capacity, analyzed programs and operations, supported crisis and emergency response, and created community-centered educational spaces.
Her work also recognizes the connection between strong communities and economic opportunity. Workforce development, education, neighborhood investment, organizational capacity, access to resources, and community resilience are interconnected. Economic development is strongest when communities are not simply the location of investment, but participants in identifying priorities, developing talent, creating opportunities, and shaping their own future.
Moni's research and public scholarship explore trust, community knowledge, institutional responsiveness, frontline expertise, economic opportunity, organizational effectiveness, preparedness, equity, and systems change. A consistent theme throughout her work is that community knowledge is not supplemental to professional expertise. It is an essential source of information for better decisions, stronger institutions, and more sustainable investment.
Moni often works as a connector, translator, strategist, educator, and systems thinker, bringing together people and perspectives that do not always occupy the same spaces and translating what is learned into practical action.
Ultimately, her work asks a larger question:
How do we build institutions, economies, and systems that recognize community knowledge, expand opportunity, and earn trust through the way they listen, invest, respond, and work alongside communities?
Role in Action
Centering Community Knowledge
Recognizing residents, frontline professionals, and community organizations as sources of expertise and creating ways for their knowledge to inform strategy, investment, programs, and decision-making.
Connecting People and Systems
Building relationships across government, business, nonprofit, healthcare, education, academic, and community sectors to address challenges that cross traditional institutional boundaries.
Strengthening Organizations and Communities
Developing people, partnerships, processes, and strategies that increase organizational capacity while strengthening the communities those organizations serve.
Expanding Economic and Workforce Opportunity
Connecting education, workforce development, community investment, and organizational partnerships to pathways that strengthen economic mobility and local capacity.
Translating Knowledge into Practice
Bringing together research, data, professional expertise, frontline experience, history, and community knowledge to inform practical decisions and action.
Building Trust and Institutional Responsiveness
Examining how leadership, communication, investment, organizational practices, and decision-making shape trust and helping institutions become more responsive to communities.
Preparing for Complexity
Applying systems thinking to public health, emergency preparedness, crisis response, economic resilience, and other challenges requiring coordination across organizations and sectors.
Advancing Community-Informed Systems Change
Looking beyond individual programs to understand how policies, institutions, economic conditions, history, and resource decisions shape opportunity and outcomes across communities.
“Meaningful change does not happen simply because people work harder. It happens when people are equipped, organizations are aligned, resources are invested with purpose, and communities are trusted as partners in shaping the work.”
— Moni Avila
Education, Achievements, Presentations, and Publications
Education
San Antonio College
Associate of Arts
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Journalism with a concentration in Photography
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Mexican American Studies
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Liberal Arts
University of Texas San Antonio
Bachelor of Arts
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Mexican American Studies
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Minor in Public Administration
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Concentration in Non-profit Management
University of Texas El Paso
Master of Arts
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Leadership Studies
- Concentration in Community Engagement
Arizona State University
Doctor of Education
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Leadership Studies and Innovation
Fellowships, Recognitions, and Nominations
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2026 – 2026 LTPC Policy and Leadership Fellows Program
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2025 –Texas Association of Mexican American Chamber of Commerce, 2025 Women of Distinction Award
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2025 – National Association of Community Health Workers, Change Agent Award
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2025 – Nominee, Aspen Institute Job Quality Fellowship: Fixing Work in the South
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2025 – Nominee, Las Comadres Nora Awards- Comadre Community Service Award
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2024 – Fellow, Culture of Health Leadership Institute for Racial Healing (CoHLI)
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2024 – Nominee, Aspen Institute Healthy Communities Fellowship
See the desktop site for additional certifications, presentations, and awards
Certification
Emergency Management Training & Certifications
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ICS-100, ICS-200, ICS-300, ICS-400
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IS-700 National Incident Management System (NIMS)
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IS-800 National Response Framework (NRF)
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IS-2200 Basic Emergency Operations Center Functions
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IS-230 Fundamentals of Emergency Management
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IS-235 Emergency Planning
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IS-120 Introduction to Exercises
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IS-130 How to Be an Exercise Evaluator
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IS-244 Developing and Managing Volunteers
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IS-288 Role of Voluntary Organizations in Emergency Management
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IS-2901 Introduction to Community Lifelines
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IS-909 Community Preparedness
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MGT-412 Sport and Special Event Evacuation & Protective Actions
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REx Standard Reunification Method
Community Health Worker Emergency Preparedness & Response (CHW-EPR) Initiative Training Texas Epidemic Public Health Institute (TEPHI)
2026 Certified Professional Coach
International Coaching Federation
Professional Development Certificate in Trauma-Informed Care
Indiana University's Center for Rural Engagement, School of Social Work, and
School of Public Health- Bloomington
2025 Project Management Professional (PMP Course Complete)
Texas Victim Assistance Training
Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Community Health Worker Emergency Preparedness & Response (CHW-EPR) Initiative Training
Texas Epidemic Public Health Institute (TEPHI)
2024 Six Sigma Black Belt
Management and Strategy Institute
Mental Health Peer Support Certified
Form Communities / Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS)
2023 Birth Doula
San Antonio Birth Doula (SABD)
CompassionateUSA
Compassionate USA
Mental Health First Aid
National Council for Mental Wellbeing
2022 Community Health Worker Certification
Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS)
Community Health Worker Instructor Certification
Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS)
Business Expertise in Administration & Management
University of Miami
Honoring the Journey through Awards, Fellowships & Recognition
Shared Honors: Community-Led, Community-Fueled!!!
These awards do not belong to Moni alone; they belong to every student who thought it was too late, every frontline worker whose labor goes unseen, and every community that dared to imagine something better. Each recognition is a reflection of the people who have walked with her: the mujeres, elders, children, colleagues, and ancestors who shaped her path. Moni carries these honors not as personal trophies, but as affirmations that community-rooted leadership matters, and that healing, justice, and culture belong at every decision-making table.
Fellowships, Recognitions, and Nominations
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2026 Nominee, San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Women in Leadership Advocacy
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2026 Fellow, Latino Policy and Leadership Center - Fellows Program
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2025 Texas Association of Mexican American Chamber of Commerce, 2025 Women of Distinction Award
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2025 National Association of Community Health Workers, Change Agent Award
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2025 Nominee, Aspen Institute Job Quality Fellowship: Fixing Work in the South
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2025 Nominee, Las Comadres Nora Awards- Comadre Community Service Award
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2024 Fellow, Culture of Health Leadership Institute for Racial Healing (CoHLI)
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2024 Nominee, Aspen Institute Healthy Communities Fellowship
Academic & Leadership Awards
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2019 COEHD Undergraduate Summer Research Intern
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2018–19 McNair Scholar Fellow
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2018- 19 Mellon Humanities Pathway Fellow
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2018–19 AHSIE Seed to Tree Scholarship Recipient
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2018 San Antonio College Distinguished Graduate
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2017 NSLS Engaged Leader Award
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2017 Hispanic Women’s Network of Texas Scholarship
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2017 Women’s Empowerment Conference Cathy Hoy Scholarship
Presentations & Panel Discussions
Juried
November 2025 Accepted, Empowering Community Health Workers: Leveraging a Community of Practice for
Workforce Development, American Public Health Association
November 2025 Accepted, Platiquemos! An Innovative Peer-Led Approach to Professional Development in
Community Health Workers, American Public Health Association
May 29, 2025 Presenter, The Critical Role of Community Health Workers in Emergency Preparedness and
Response Efforts, 2025 Texas Emergency Management Conference
March 27, 2025 Presenter, One Step towards Organizational Change: Community Health Workers Evaluation
Capacity Building, 2025 Texas Evaluation Network (TEN) Virtual Institute
November 15, 2023 Accepted, Community Health Workers Professional Support and Workforce Advocacy,
American Public Health Association 2023 Annual Meeting and Expo.
August 4, 2023 Panelist, The act of balancing parenting, education, and community, as Community Health
Workers, National Association of Community Health Worker Unity Conference
June 9, 2023 Panelist, Community Voices on Health Equity, Health Confianza, Health Equity in Action
Summit
March 28, 2023 Panelist, From Community to Institution: The Importance of Alliances, Collaborations, and
Reciprocal Relationships to Provide Health Resources and Support to Underserved
Communities, Teaching Prevention: Leadership for Health Equity
March 24, 2023 Accepted, Collective Testimonios-Nontraditional Student Reflections: Experiences in el Torre
de Marfil, NACCS Tejas Foco
August 4, 2022 Moderator, Community and Health Education: Bridging the Community and Institutional Gap
through Community-Based Learning and Cross-sector Collaboration, National Association of
Community Health Worker Unity Conference
May 20, 2021 Presenter, MAS (Mexican American Studies) for the Masses: Building Community and Ethnic
Pride Through Historia y Arte, La Lucha Sigue: Continuing the Fight for Dignity, Education,
and the Chicano Identity, TACHE
April 12, 2019 Panelist, Lessons From Amá: Activism, Mentorship, and Healing Strategies Within and
Outside Academia, National NACCS Conference
March 30, 2019 Accepted, Cross-Sector Collaboration and Community-Based Learning.SECOLAS-
Southeastern Council of Latin American Studies, Oaxaca, Mexico
February 16, 2019 Presenter, Closing the Gap through Community-Based Learning, NACCS Tejas Foco
November 17, 2018 Presenter, Mexican American Studies for the Masses: 50th Anniversary of the U.S. Civil
Rights Commission Hearing on Mexican-American Studies in the Southwest
November 17, 2018 Presenter, Mexican American Studies for the Masses: 50th Anniversary of the U.S. Civil
Rights Commission Hearing on Mexican-American Studies in the Southwest
May 18, 2018 Presenter, Community Activism and Organizing Then and Now, El Mundo Zurdo, An
International Conference on the Life and Work of Gloria E. Anzaldua
April 21, 2018 Presenter, Myths, Folklore, and Legends: Bridging Stories across Cultures and Communities,
National Council for History Education
February 24, 2018 Presenter, Myths, Folklore, and Leyendas: Bridging Stories across Cultures and Communities
through Latino Literature, UTSA National Latino Children’s Literature Conference
March 25, 2017 Presenter, UTSA National Latino Children’s Literature Conference
Invited
March 18, 2025 Presenter, Language, Literature, and Art, Texas A&M San Antonio
September 6, 2024 Language, Culture, and Communication in Latine/x Health, Texas A&M San Antonio
August 27, 2022 Presenter, I can’t… Language, Culture, and Communication in Latine/x Health
Panelist, CHW certification, pathways to higher education, professional and workforce
development, Northwest Vista Community College
July 14, 2022 Presenter, Cross-sector Collaborations with local agencies, community, and K-12 Education,
UTSA Summer Bridging Institute for Academy for Teaching Excellence
May 1, 2019 Keynote Speaker, San Antonio College 2nd Annual University Signing Day
March 30, 2019 Presenter, Re-envisioning Our Future by Revisiting the Past through Testimonios Teach for America Latinx Corp Member Summit, San Antonio
November 17, 2018 Panelist, Chicana Activism and Leadership: 50th Anniversary of the U.S. Civil Rights
Commission Hearing on Mexican-American Studies in the Southwest
April 11, 2018 Presenter, San Antonio College Mexican American Studies Fine Arts
July 14, 2016 Panelist, “Mentorship for a Lifetime of Learning” UTSA Summer Bridging Institute for
Academy for Teaching Excellence
April 2016 Presenter, “Stand by Your Sisters- Radical Mothering as a Rite of Passage” Women’s
Empowerment Conference, Austin, Texas
Additional
August 21, 2025 Guest Speaker, The Role of CHWs in Public Health, Westside Education and Training Center
June 7, 2025. Judge, 2025 San Antonio Pride Pageant
November 8, 2023 Panelist, Visiting the Past to Gain Perspective on the Present, Light The Torch Community
Health Worker Summit, San Antonio Metropolitan Health District
February 9, 2017 Presenter, “Cross-Sector Collaboration for Community Education”
UTSA Civic Engagement Summit
August 13, 2016 Panelist and Moderator and Summer Round-up Facilitator, Youth Conference
MAS for the Masses hosted by Cafe College
July 30, 2016 Presenter, “Movimiento y Metal” MAS for the Masses Summer Workshop Series
June 18, 2016 Facilitator, “Community- Break-out Session” Summit on Implementing Mexican American Studies in Texas Schools Pre-K through 12
June 18, 2016 Panelist, 2016 MAS TX EDUCATION Pre-K through 12 SummitSan Antonio College
Scholarly Publications
Doctoral Dissertation
Nepantlera Community Health Workers: Transcending Invisible Borders in Urban Spaces
Monica Elisa Avila, Ed.D. (2025). Arizona State University.
This doctoral dissertation examines how Community Health Workers navigate cultural, linguistic, relational, and institutional boundaries in urban settings. Drawing on CHW experiences and reflective practice, the study explores code-switching, cultural competence, lived expertise, conocimiento, and the ways community knowledge is often undervalued within institutional systems.
View the Dissertation on ProQuest
Revised Manuscripts Under Review
From Competencies to Capacity: Community Health Workers and the Future of Health Communication Training
Monica Elisa Avila, Ed.D. (2026). Revised manuscript under review at the Journal of Health Communication.
This article examines how Community Health Workers use adaptive communication, cultural affirmation, emotional labor, relational trust building, and institutional navigation, with implications for strengthening health communication training.
Community & Applied Scholarship
Storytelling With Community™: Community Learning and Action Guide
Moni Avila, Ed.D. (2026). Institute for Community Knowledge & Practice / Nueva Era.
A community learning and action guide bringing together storytelling, conocimiento, plática, trust-building, community-based participatory approaches, facilitation, accountability, and results-based practices to support community learning, engagement, and action.
Selected Public Scholarship & Commentary
Recent Storm Further Exposes San Antonio’s Underserved West Side
Guest Commentary | San Antonio Express-News | September 11, 2026
This commentary examines how severe weather exposes longstanding infrastructure and economic inequities while highlighting the knowledge, leadership, and organizing capacity already present within San Antonio’s West Side communities.
Media Mentions
Video & Broadcast
“NCHE’s Culture of Health Leadership Institute Announces 3rd Cohort”
EIN Presswire / WKRG – June 20, 2024
“Podcast – The Heart of Preparedness: People, Purpose & Public Health”, Domestic Preparedness – July 23, 2025
News Features & Articles
“Westside’s Barrio Barista Hosts M.A.S. for the Masses”
Rivard Report – July 18, 2015
“Mas for the Masses: How San Anto Brings Xican@ Studies to the Gente”
Xica Nation – August 27, 2015
“San Antonio Artist Establishes ‘M.A.S. for the Masses’”
La Prensa de San Antonio – June 25, 2015
“Taking Mexican-American Studies to the Masses”
USA Today – Hispanic Living – September 17, 2016
“Grassroots Group Teaches Mexican-American History to San Antonio Youth”
San Antonio Express-News – June 24, 2017
Biography
Moni Avila, Ed.D., is a scholar-practitioner, educator, and organizational leader with experience across public health, emergency preparedness, workforce and economic development, higher education, community engagement, and program strategy. Her career has included leading teams, developing professional education and workforce initiatives, coordinating cross-sector partnerships, strengthening program operations, and supporting community-centered responses to complex challenges.
Her leadership experience spans government, nonprofit, academic, and community settings. She has designed and implemented professional development initiatives reaching thousands of frontline professionals, supervised multidisciplinary teams, supported crisis and emergency response efforts, facilitated community and organizational partnerships, and contributed to strategies focused on workforce capacity, organizational effectiveness, and community resilience.
Moni earned her Doctor of Education in Leadership and Innovation from Arizona State University. Her doctoral research, Nepantlera Community Health Workers: Transcending Invisible Borders in Urban Spaces, examined how Community Health Workers navigate cultural, institutional, and linguistic boundaries. Her scholarship continues through research, public writing, and applied work addressing leadership, community knowledge, organizational systems, emergency preparedness, public health, economic opportunity, and institutional decision-making.
Moni brings an interdisciplinary perspective to her work, combining research, strategic thinking, facilitation, program development, and practical leadership to help organizations and communities navigate change, strengthen capacity, and move ideas into action.